MUSIC PREVIEW: Mr. Smither goes to Scituate

Chris Smither, who marked his 50th anniversary as a professional musician in 2014, has deep ties to the Boston area and manages to make every show feel like an event.

By Chad Berndtson/For The Patriot Ledger

Sooner or later, every lover of blues, folk and roots music gets to Chris Smither, at 72 one of the elder statesmen – an icon – of the craft. An influence to countless young folkies, guitarists, singer-songwriters, Smither has deep ties to the Boston area and comes here often enough from his home base in Amherst. Still, in his incisive but unpretentious way, Smither manages to make every show feel like an event, and his return to Scituate’s River Club on Saturday will no doubt feel the same.

“I’ve always enjoyed performing,” Smither said. “One reason I write new songs is that it makes the performances more fun. I really make the records so I can go out and do my thing – what I really like to do is get on stage and ask everyone to take a little trip with me. I might talk a little less now, and play more, but who I am is pretty much the same.”

Smither’s 50th anniversary as a professional musician was in 2014 – an occasion marked by the release of “Still on the Levee,” a double CD retrospective collection of music, and “Chris Smither Lyrics: 1966-2012.” Later that year also came a well-rounded tribute album, “Link of Chain,” featuring peers and devotees like Jorma Kaukonen, Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin and Bonnie Raitt.

The work continues, however. Smither is playing a handful of new songs this spring, anticipating a new record. He notes one newer song called “There Ain’t Nobody Home” – a protagonist looking around for a place to hide, unsuccessfully, in what sounds like a classic Smither character – and a number of others that have what he describes as a classic blues structure with stories starting to develop.

“I’m not a constant writer. I write for projects. I look at these things from a long ways off and say, well, if I don’t get into the studio soon, everyone will assume I have died,” he says with a chuckle. “The guitar parts always come first for me, and I play them constantly so I can think in terms of the song. Once I can really hear that in my head is when I start writing lyrics.

Boston, the Florida and Louisiana native notes, isn’t just significant – it’s the home he made.

“It’s where I started, and after I left New Orleans, it’s the first place I came to for any length of time. It’s also full of people willing to hear me and cut me some slack,” he said, laughing.

“There are still places to play, and that in and of itself is amazing,” Smither reflects when asked about favorite local venues. “I was really depressed when Johnny D’s closed. But right in Harvard Square you have Passim, you have the others. In retrospect, these places do last for a lot longer than you think. They stick around for quite a while because of the people that want to be part of them.”CHRIS SMITHER 8 p.m. Saturday, at the River Club Music Hall, 78 Border St., Scituate, $25-$35, 781-545-1330; theriverclubmusichall.com.